This invention relates in general to ink printable bandages, and deals more particularly with ink printable bandages which permit fanciful graphics to be printed thereon, from a home computer or the like, whereby the ink utilized bonds with a coating on the bandages so as to be water insoluble.
Over the years, many improvements have been made to bandages in order to create more sterile and effective dressings for wounds of all sizes. Recently, in association with technological improvements in bandage manufacture, there have also been efforts to increase their visual appeal to users, especially younger users, by adorning bandages, gauzes and cast mediums with colors or designs. These adornments, however, are limited to a relatively few designs chosen by the manufacturer and therefore may not be especially pleasing to all. Moreover, not all retail outlets carry these specialty bandages and so they may not be readily available to all consumers who may be desirous of acquiring them.
Compounding the lack of variety and accessibility problems surrounding these specialty bandages is the recent and widespread proliferation of home computers and the internet to which young people in particular are attracted at the expense of learning traditional life skills, including the dressing and care for cuts and other wounds.
There therefore exists a need in the bandage art for greater flexibility in the selection of the fanciful graphics which may adorn a given bandage, as well as a system through which younger children may relate traditional life skills with the technology that interests them and pervades much of their lives.
With the forgoing problems and concerns in mind, it is the general object of the present invention to provide an ink jet printable bandage which overcomes the above-described concerns and drawbacks, and which captures the imagination of young minds and their fascination with commonly available technology.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bandage capable of having numerous, fanciful graphics printed thereon.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bandage wherein the fanciful graphics printed thereon are selected by an operator.
It is another object of the present invention to enable an operator to select the graphic to be printed from a predetermined set of graphics, a graphic which has been personally designed or a graphic downloaded from the internet.
It is another object of the present invention to utilizes a personal printer to print the desired graphics on the bandage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a special film on a bandage which will bond with the commercially available ink utilized in home printers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a special film on a bandage which will bond to the commercially available ink in home computers in a waterproof manner.
It is another object of the present invention to stimulate children""s interest in the care of wounds by incorporating technology based applications.
According to one embodiment of the present invention a bandage is adapted to receive a printed graphic image which is printed by a personal home printer. The predetermined graphic image may be chosen from a graphics library loaded onto a personal computer, a graphic image designed by an operator or a graphic image downloaded from the internet. The bandage includes a first layer treated with a coating on one planar side, the coating bonding with the printed graphic image in a water-proof manner. The bandage further includes a second pressure sensitive adhesive layer disposed on another planar side of the first layer, and a third liner layer which overlays the second adhesive layer. The third liner layer is selectively removable from the second adhesive layer to expose the second adhesive layer.
These and other objectives of the present invention, and their preferred embodiments, shall become clear by consideration of the specification, claims and drawings taken as a whole.